Equestria. Everfree Forest. Nightfall.
Twilight Moonlight had arrived at the Everfree Forest with one objective. Destroying the Mirror Pool. But showing up before she could even do so was Zecora, along with a few Pokemon who were helping rebuild her home. Confronted by Zecora, Twilight Moonlight suggested evacuation, only for Zecora to have a few questions that needed answering.
"If you won't leave, I'll force you to leave." Twilight Moonlight uttered with her horn already radiating magic as a threat. "This is for your own good. Everyone's good. The Mirror Pool and whatever is here at the Everfree Forest needs to be dealt with. Everything here was used to its full destructive intent by him."
"I know I'm up for getting Zecora out of here but...please don't be so rough like you always are..." The voice from another world said to Twilight Moonlight, wishing that she would take things easily.
"Why would you want to do such a thing?" Zecora questioned. "What are you trying to prevent from happening?" Around Zecora, the Pokemon were greatly confused. They were hearing such a harsh tone and collection of words coming from what was presumably a friendly face. But it was not the Twilight Sparkle they knew that would come by to the Pokemon House often.
"You have no idea. The unification of both worlds brought some benefits and greatness, sure. But a bigger world means bigger problems and one of those problems happens to be the potential return of Him. Prisma. If you ask me...uniting these two worlds as one was the biggest mistake possible. Because something big could return again, far worse than whatever you could encounter. The Dread League are nothing compared to what I had to experience back then. So to prevent that from happening, I'm cutting off everything that can lead to it."
"That is not an excuse for you to destroy the Mirror Pool or whatever exists here at Everfree." Zecora shook her head. "But you make it sound like your existence is the worst that it can be."
"It is. Or rather, it was. I may be a Twilight Sparkle counterpart, but in reality, I...and her as well, come from a world that was once short-lived." Twilight Moonlight brought up that mysterious world to Zecora. "You don't remember. Not many do but I certainly remember. At least, parts of it."
"Then share it with me then. I'd rather avoid a battle with you as I don't wish for this to take the worst possible turn." Zecora wished to talk it out despite how strange this seemed. She wanted to know why Twilight Moonlight was truly doing this. Talking it out was her ideal choice.
"Well...If she wants to know, what would that result in?" The voice wondered. "We're keeping things as discreet as we can, even if that's been failing. Zecora was fairly important back in that world. If she does know, I'm still worried that our plans could stumble here."
"She was. But she doesn't know a thing about it at all, much like everyone else in this world. I'd rather not harm you so...here's what you'll get from my own memories and what my superiors tell me. And for your sake, whatever I tell you, you should take seriously."
"Go ahead." The voice allowed it. "I'm already planning on a backup plan just in case."
"What I recall was that this world was a wonderful utopia. Before the Jirachi put everything together, it was an Earth that was unified with Pokemon, ponies, humans and more. However, it only lasted for a split second. And yet, in those split-seconds, millenniums, decades and centuries gone by thanks to the power of the Rift."
"That much went by in such a short time?!" Zecora gasped, stunned at this fact. This mysterious world lived on as long as any other world but only happened for a split second. "I can see how something like that be forgettable and pass us by."
"It was the Rift. It made that world as an experiment. To fuel its entertainment, it altered our worlds by reshaping them into something new. But quickly, it changed its mind, opting to go for the second option that you all saw today. If it didn't, then we would all be living in a combined world already. But I'm glad we're not. Because Prisma, at least for now, is gone."
"Who is this Prisma character? If I knew I would but...it all seems like a blur." Zecora questioned once more.
"Unfortunately, that's all my memories can gather. But I certainly know more than what most do." Twilight Moonlight shrugged. "Prisma was a powerful trainer from that world. Possibly the best. From what my superiors know, Prisma was a titan when it came to Pokemon Battles and quickly gained advantage on the battlefield, soon becoming an undefeated Champion across that world and widely known as a Superstar. No one was above him. But...perhaps that was one of the biggest problems." Twilight Moonlight then looked down, having a vivid vision of that world.
That same topic city that was a mishmash of different regions and Equestria came to mind. And once again, the visage of this Prisma Character was spotted. In her mind, Twilight Moonlight saw the city in the worst-possible state. Utter destruction.
And in that destruction, many species were fleeing in terror from what looked to be gigantic Pokemon. And on top of these Pokemon was the silhouette of Prisma. Of course, this is all Twilight Moonlight could envision based on what she was shared about this Prisma Character.
"What I do know is that his battling went too far. So much so that it led to the destruction of that city. He strived to be the strongest and accomplished his goal. But at his absolute peak, he wasn't satisfied. Being at the top meant that there was nothing for him to strive for. So out of pure boredom, he decided to destroy the world."
"!" That threw Zecora off guard. It was a lot more serious than she thought it was and the description of this Prisma Character was rather devious.
"Not too uncommon from what Rosa Maledicta wants to do. But I'd argue one is more terrifying than the other. This world can focus on stopping the Dread League. As for me, I plan to stop Prisma from returning. He used everything he could to bring the world to ruin and the Mirror Pool was involved with it."
"How are you so sure that Prisma will return? And is everything in Everfree truly of great concern?" Zecora asked.
"Because the ones who will make Prisma return are still around. After I deal with everything that could repeat that short-lived history, my superiors will decide what to do with the crux of Prisma. Very soon, I'll have to deal with Ash Ketchum."
"Ash?! Why did you bring up Ash?"
"He's one of the eight that is related to Prisma. Whatever happens to him...as long as it means that Prisma can never come back, it must be done. And unfortunately, thanks to what the Jirachi have done, Prisma's return is likely. So now you know quite a few things, Zecora. I need to do this. It's my mission. I don't know how long it will take for him to return but the sooner I can prevent it, the better."
"I understand what you saying and what this all means. But the fact that it involves Ash in a less-than-pleasant topic is worrying to me."
"You don't have to worry about that. There are 7 more out there that we also have to deal with if they can even show up in this universe again with how things are. I've read up on Ash and he's a rather famous figure here. It won't take long for me to find him since Ponyville's a hot spot for the guy. Just know this, Zecora. When I come across him, whatever my superiors say, it has to be done."
"You'd better do it quickly, Moonlight. You've already been in this world for almost another day. We can't keep you in this universe and you'll return automatically. Wrap it up before the machine fails to keep you here." The voice from beyond warned her. Twilight Moonlight had a time limit. A time limit to how long she could be here. It was seemingly nearly two days. She had been in this world since yesterday after all and with the moon coming up, the next day was about to arrive.
"I refuse to let you harm a friend of mine." Zecora put her hoof down. After hearing everything, she made up her mind. Judging from Twilight Moonlight's words, even Ash was being threatened. "I've made up my mind." Zecora chose to stand against Twilight Moonlight even after all of that. When a friend was being brought up in that way, how could she not?
"Bad call, Zecora." Twilight Moonlight's horn would flare up as she would focus her attention to the ceiling. She unleashed a magical beam upwards, blasting the ceiling above.
By doing so, Twilight Moonlight would create a blockade of large rocks that came crashing down, startling the Pokemon and Zecora. The rocks aligned just as Twilight Moonlight wanted as they would block off the way to the mirror pool for Zecora and the others. After creating a massive blockade that blocked off the entrance to the Mirror Pool, Twilight Moonlight focused her attention on the magical pond, ready to eliminate it from this world. "Alright. Let's get this over with as soon as possible."
However, blocking off Zecora was a pointless endeavour. Immediately, the rocks were all blown away by an electrical blast. This stream of electricity would pass by Twilight Moonlight, making her mane flow from the force. And the one who blew these rocks away was none other than Zecora's Zebstrika.
"Zebstrika!"
Twilight Moonlight sighed. She expected something like this to happen and she didn't quite finish her job fast enough. Zecora would truly get in her way just for her friend, while Twilight Moonlight would focus on the potential return of a dangerous individual.
"Fine then...If that's how it's going to be...!" Twilight Moonlight would use her magic to hold out one of her Poke Balls, throwing it upwards. "Go, Samurott!"
"Samurott!" Emerging from the Poke Ball was none other than Hisuian Samurott. As for the other Pokemon here, intimidated by Twilight Moonlight's presence, they would steer clear away from whatever would unfold from this. Most were just small Pokemon. Zecora stood in front of these Pokemon, being their guardians for the worst. However, it didn't seem like Twilight Moonlight wished to harm them.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just going to force you out of here. But if you want to truly do this, then I won't apologize if someone gets hurt." Twilight Moon warned. But the look in Zecora's eyes said otherwise. "No? Okay...Samurott! Get them out of here with Ceaseless Edge!"
"Sam!" By removing the two shell blades on its front legs, Hisuian Samurott would envelop them in darkness. A battle had begun as the Formidable Pokemon approached with impressive speeds.
As for Zecora, her way of battling was unique compared to others. Instead of constantly shouting out commands, she would communicate with her Pokemon on a mental or even spiritual level. They would always understand what she was trying to say without rhyming. And this was once of those instances as Zebstrika looked back at Zecora, nodding in understanding.
In a flash, Zebstrika would zip out of the way, evading the downward slash from Samurott. The blades struck the ground, causing a cutting wave of darkness to emerge, slicing through the cavern walls. Zecora would move some of the Pokemon out of the way of this attack as it cut apart whatever stood in its way, even the pathway that led to the exit of the cavern.
"While they're doing that...This is my chance!" Twilight Moonlight would then turn her attention to the Mirror Pool, taking the opportunity to destroy it while Samurott was dealing with Zebstrika. However, after evading Ceaseless Edge, Zebstrika would use Thunderbolt, exuding a violent flare of electricity from his body.
"Strika!" The flare of 100,000 volts would not only race towards Samurott, but it would also reach Twilight Moonlight, being a way to prevent her from getting close to the Mirror Pool. Twilight Moonlight gasped as the bolt nearly struck her, blasting the ground and leaving a visible smoking dent. As for Samurott, it managed to deflect the attack by using its blades to do so.
"You...!" Twilight Moonlight growled, turning to face Zecora and Zebstrika. By looking at Zecora's eyes, it was clear that she wouldn't give Twilight Moonlight the opportunity to interact with the Mirror Pool.
"Zebstrika!" Zebstrika would use Thunderbolt once more, unleashing those 100,000 volts at greater speeds.
"Fine! Samurott, Aerial Ace! Now!"
"Samurott!" Samurott would then cover its blades in a white light. These blades would once again deflect Thunderbolt, knocking them elsewhere that would destroy another part of this cavern. After deflecting it, Samurrot would approach Zebstrika, moving at confounding speeds with Aerial Ace.
"Z-Zeb!" The Electric-Type would be smacked by the blades, receiving hits to the head that made him open his eyes. Samurott would make sure that these hits would last, making the Thunderbolt Pokemon stagger and stumble.
"Zebstrika cannot do this on his own." Zecora gulped before holding out two more Poke Balls. "Weavile! Ninjask! Go!" From these two Poke Balls, Weavile and Ninjask would appear. Another batch of speedy Pokemon had arrived to assist their teammate.
"Weavile!" Weavile cried out, using Ice Shard the instant it showed up. Summoning a shard of ice in its hands, Weavile would throw them at Twilight Moonlight but not as a direct target. Instead, the shards would form an ice blockade in front of the Mirror Pool, freezing parts of the ground over instantly. Twilight Moonlight groaned as she moved back from the blockade of ice that emerged before her. She was now moving further from the Mirror Pool at this rate.
"Ninjask!" As for Ninjask, it came zooming in, intercepting Hisuian Samurrot's attack, using X-Scissor to do so. A super-effective blow as Samurott did not see it coming at all.
"S-Samu!" Samurott yelled before being pushed back by Ninjask's surprise attack. Now, Twilight Moonlight had three Pokemon to deal with. And each of them were considerably fast considering the kind of Gym Leader Zecora was.
"Samurott! Blow them all away with Water Pledge!" Twilight Moonlight roared.
"Rott!" Rings surround Samurott's eyes, unleashing a strong surge of water from its body. With just a stomp, Samurott summoned massive pillars of water that would sprout out, swamping a majority of this area.
Zebstrika, Weavile and Ninjask would scatter, moving in different directions. Zebstrika would take the right, Weavile went for the left while Ninjask would go above. The Bug-Flying-Type would avoid the pillar by moving higher than it could currently reach while Weavile and Zebstrika zig-zagged past them.
After avoiding them, Zebstrika would use Wild Charge, enveloping his body in an aura of lightning before using that to propel himself at even greater speeds. Weavile would join him, using Night Slash while still managing to keep up without needing something like Wild Charge.
"Intercept with Ceaseless Edge!"
"Sam!" Samurott would hold out its blades yet again. This time, it would block Weavile's Night Slash which would appear first, hitting Hisuian Samurott's shell blades which resulting in a clanging noise emerging. Samurott pushed Weavile's fragile body away before then fixating on Ninjask, who was going for another X-Scissor. It also had to focus on Zebstrika's Wild Charge.
Samurott barely managed to stop Ninjask with Ceaseless Edge, overpowering its X-Scissor and launching the Bug-Flying-Type. But it was far too late to stop Zebstrika who struck at the right moment, dealing a super-effective blow to the Formidable Pokemon.
"S-Sam!" As it stood now, Samurott was certainly strong, but it could not keep up with Zecora's speedy team. At best, two were manageable but three was definitely difficult. The fact that all three of them were fast was tricky for the Formidable Pokemon as well as Twilight Moonlight.
"You can stop this now before the worst can happen to this cavern and Everfree," Zecora suggested. "Your Samurrot cannot possibly keep up with my Pokemon and their amazing speed.
"Don't you think have the upper hoof here...!" Twilight Moonlight's eyes flashed a dark blue before thrusting her hoof into the air. "I came here to complete my mission and I won't let you stop me!" Suddenly, a strong pressure came from both Twilight Moonlight and Samurott. It was as if their reactions to this battle were giving them strength.
"Samurott!"
"Zeb...?!" Zebstrika and the others gasped. Before their eyes, something was emerging from Twilight Moonlight. A visage of a pony had emerged in correlation with her outburst. This pony seemed to have both a horn and wings, much like an alicorn. It was faint but Zecora could definitely see the appearance of alicorn. But she wasn't sure what this meant.
"Keep up with this since you're so sure of yourself, Zecora! Ceaseless Edge! Once more!"
As if Samurott got a boost, the Formidable Pokemon moved faster than before while holding out its weapons. Zebstrika and the others prepared for Samurott, only to be the ones who were caught by surprise. Samurott slashed Zebstrika first with Ceaseless Edge, moving faster than the Thunderbolt Pokemon could see it. Zecora was even stunned as Samurott was not this fast earlier.
She watched as Zebstrika was sent flying, hitting the walls of the cavern. Zebstrika cried out from this staggering blow as he made a dent in the walls that came in his body shape.
"Weavile?!" After Zebstrika was bewildered and sent flying, Weavile was the next target. Weavile managed to jump away from the next Ceaseless Edge. The attack was also aimed at Ninjask who would zip backwards. However, that wouldn't be enough, Samurott's tenacity showed along with Twilight Moonlight's.
"You won't escape from us! Go, Samurrot!"
"Rott!" Samurott moved in, slashing its blade down at Ninjask who had just managed to gauge some distance. Ninjask would find itself being slashed by Samurott's blades, unable to avoid the next Ceaseless Edge. Instead of being launched, Ninjask was brought to the ground by the blade.
"J-Jask!"
"Weavile!? Weavile!" Weavile growled before using Dark Pulse to try and push the Formidable Pokemon away. A wave of darkness that was imbued with dark thoughts emerged from Weavile's claws, smashing into Samurott's face.
"Sam!" But Samurott barely moved from it. It did not even flinch. Instead, after pinning Ninjask to the ground, it would shift its attention to the Sharp Claw Pokemon, throwing one of its blades at its fellow Dark-Type.
"Wea?!" Weavile gasped as the blade nearly struck it. It would pass by Weavile's face while also moving past Zecora who nearly found herself being a target. She stumbled after being startled by the shelled blade, nearly falling over as Samurott's weapon stabbed into the walls.
"Her Samurott wasn't this fast before!" Zecora was flabbergasted by this sudden change. It was as if Samurott was only now showing this off and Twilight Moonlight was just keeping it hidden until now. "That alicorn visage behind her must be the reason for this evolution, I'm sure!" But it seemed that the brief visage of the alicorn was possibly responsible for this.
"Don't mess with me, Zecora! Water Pledge!"
"Rott!" By removing its blade from Ninjask, it would then swing the only one it still had in its hand, summoning a stream of water that flowed rapidly. Weavile attempted to freeze the water over with Ice Shard, only to be too late.
The Water Pledge would blow Weavile away, covering the Ice-Dark-Type in a swamp of liquids. All three of Zecora's Pokemon found themselves either launched or slammed. And in Weavile's case, it would fly through some of the pillars of this cavern, breaking them.
Zecora's eyes trembled as her Pokemon had all suffered major damage from Samurott's sudden outburst. She would then look back at Twilight Moonlight who only had a viciously serious scowl on her face. Not a single smile would emerge from her face even with this vast advantage.
"Call it quits, Zecora. Now." Twilight Moonlight declared. "And next time, don't ever stand in my way and prevent me from what I need to do."
"I'm sorry but I refuse to do so, even if I lose." Zecora closed her eyes before turning to face the Pokemon. With a singular head nudge, she told the Pokemon here to leave the cavern at once. "My friend is too important for me to give up to you."
"Forget that. Your friend is just the catalyst. Maybe that wasn't the case when the two worlds were separated but now that they're combined, it's guaranteed. It doesn't matter what you tell me. I'm going through with this."
"Samurott!"
"Hm." Zecorao smiled before then slowly backing away. Twilight Moonlight narrowed her eyes, wondering what she was up to. Right then and there, Weavile would take action under Zecora's facial understanding. By using Night Slash, the Sharp Claw Pokemon threw a blade of darkness at one of the pillars in this cavern.
Samurott saw it as pointless to intercept this since it would not hit its target. But for Zecora, it was the jackpot. Previously, the other pillars were taken out by Samurott's Water Pledge. And this one pillar was what started bringing everything down. It was the foundation of this very spot as the entire ceiling was coming down.
"What?!" Twilight Moonlight gasped as everything crumbled rapidly thanks to this one pillar breaking apart. This is what Zecora wanted to do. It was risky but she was willing to shoot for the payoff. All the Pokemon here had already fled thanks to Zecora, gaining a safe distance. The only ones not a safe distance were Zecora, her Pokemon, Samurott and Twilight Moonlight. "Are you crazy?!"
"If it means preventing you from getting the Mirror Pool...Then any chance to make sure that happens will do." Zecora smiled while massive rocks would land next to her. She would then return her Pokemon, keeping them safe as the exit way was gradually being blocked off by these gigantic ceiling rocks.
"This won't stop me! I-" Just then, Twilight Moonlight's body would flash, emanating the aura of the Rift. Her time was up in this universe. "No...! Not now! Darn it I wasted too much time!"
"You've been here since last morning. It's time to return, Moonlight. We can put a bookmark on this and try again later." The voice from another world said.
"Darn it all...! Zecora! I'll remember this! You're not gonna stop me from doing what needs to be done, you hear me?!" Those were her last words here before then vanishing in a flare of Rift Energy. Her voice echoed through the cavern as a reminder.
As for Zecora, she would gallop as fast as she could, avoiding the rocks that came crashing down. And as for the mirror pool, it would be flooded by these rocks which only ended up duplicating them. Even the rocks were affected as duplicates of them would fill up the pool, covering whatever could be seen by it. The exit was still available but Zecora had to hurry. She managed to exit the cavern at the last moment before the last rock blocked it off. It was a safe exit and a close call.
After escaping, Zecora and the others would look at the cavern which had been thoroughly damaged thanks to the battle that took place and Zecora's risky move. But it was all worth it as it burned through Twilight Moonlight's time while also keeping her from destroying the Mirror Pool.
The Mirror Pool itself was still intact, despite being covered in duplicated rocks. However, Zecora knew that this wasn't over. Twilight Moonlight would return as proven by her last words.
"That was a most troubling turn of events that turned dire..." Zecora said while gazing at the cavern to the Mirror Pool. "This Twilight Moonlight character will return...and I fear it might be with a greater ire." Zecora also feared what Twilight Moonlight would do when she returns.
Yet, it was strange. Despite what she planned to do, Zecora could see that there were no malicious intentions behind her words. If anything, Twilight Moonlight was dedicated to that goal for the sake of something better. Something that would prevent the worse from happening. And in her words, just as bad as the Dread League or even worse.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 42 End.